Activities began bright and early Monday, September 4 with resident student check-in, a visit to Safety and Security for ID cards and a chance to drop in to the CNR bookstore for textbooks and CNR paraphernalia. Before saying good-bye to their own families, the newest members of the CNR family gathered for lunch in the dining hall. After dinner, students had an opportunity to do some dorm room shopping at Target before ending the night with snacks and activities in Brescia Living Room.

The freshmen were formally welcomed into the CNR Community during the Freshman Convocation in Holy Family Chapel on Tuesday, September 5.

“Class of 2021, the College Community has gathered today to celebrate the start of your academic journey towards a baccalaureate degree. We know how hard you have worked for this moment and the sacrifices you have made to stand where you are in pursuit of your dreams,” said Tiffani Blake, Dean of Students, during the convocation.

“There are two ceremonies that will bookend your years at CNR, this convocation and commencement when you receive your degree. Your name will be the same at both, but during your four years with us, you will have evolved and changed and you will be a much different person than you are today because of the experience you have had here at CNR,” said Dr. David Donnelly, Interim Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences.

Dominque Prophete SAS’18, the Student Government Association President, offered her advice to the incoming freshmen. “As I sat at my freshman convocation, I was anxious and shy like many of you. I never thought I would hold a leadership position at CNR let alone become SGA president. Well, today I am here to tell you that at CNR you will be prepared and encouraged to accomplish your goals. At the completion of the CNR journey, you will be the leaders the world needs.”

Interim President Dr. Dorothy Escribano greeted the Class of 2021, noting that “each of you have the responsibility to work toward achieving your own potential as a student and a citizen of the world. Your liberal arts education will give you the foundation that is so often critical to making a difference, some of you in your own communities and others at a more global level… for all of us, today marks a new beginning, a time of opportunity, of promise, of unlimited possibilities.“

At the conclusion of the Convocation, students left the Chapel to the applause of faculty and staff, who lined the path to Maura Lawn, where the newest members of the CNR Community then mingled with new friends and classmates at a celebratory barbeque.